I. Psychological Therapies
First, I think even the best websites are no substitute for a living person when it comes to therapies. Here's a website for your own interest and information called the ABCs of Internet Therapy Guide.
There are many different therapies that one might have prescribed for a client (patient). Below is a scene from the film Ordinary People (1980). It is the story of a family beset by the death of one of its members. The result of which is a broken home. A distant mother that finds it hard to show affection for the son that survived the boating accident. An over compensating father that tries to make up for the problems and denial of his wife. And finally, the surviving son that is riddled with guilt because he survived, while his older brother died. The purpose of this scene is for you to get a sense of the relationship that develops between a therapist and his/her patient. You only need to watch the opening seven minutes. Enjoy.
A. Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a long and costly process. It requires that the patient have the following qualities:
Motivation - takes a lot of investment of time, so this is a necessary quality.
Capacity to form interpersonal relationships.
Capacity for introspection and insight.
Ego strength - must be able to accept being open to painful facts and interpretations.
B. Humanistic Therapy
This is largely the work of Carl Rogers work with "client (not "patient") centered therapies. Focus here is on the present and future as opposed to some sort of traumatic event in the development of the person (see Freud's psychotherapy above). The client is to take responsibility for their feelings. The goal is self-awareness, self-acceptance and personal growth.
Watch the video clip below featuring Carl Rogers.
Try to speak to a counselor using the Humanistic Approach at ELIZA. Go to the bottom of this webpage and type in what you feel are the words of the client (patient) that you have been assigned. See how this approach works for you. You might want to include it in your diagnosis and treatment.
This method can be very successful. Needed are a client that:
is willing to give full and honest disclosure about how they think and feel, and why they might be experiencing those feelings.
is willing to accept full responsibility for their feelings and thoughts.
C. Behavior Therapies
The therapies are used for patients with a wide range of disorders from addictions to bad behavior. Largely these sorts of therapies will focus on a strategy, i.e. relaxation technique, in order to address a disorder. If you can remember the scene we saw from the film Clock Work Orange, you can see an example of aversive therapy. The approach taken in the film, though, is not what happens in real life situations employing aversive therapy. The objective is always self-control.
Another example of a behavior therapy is called a token economy. This is just like operant conditioning where some sort of reward is given for not engaging in some sort of undesirable behavior. In this case it would be just that, a token which can be exchanged for something of value after a certain number have been gathered.
Another type of behavior therapy is assertiveness training.
D. Cognitive Therapies
The focus is, as the name implies, thought. Address the thought processes and we may be able to address the entire disorder.
This is used a lot with depression. The focus is on distortions that many patients usually have that are suffering from a mood or generalized anxiety disorder and phobias.
Watch the video below. The work of the therapist here is simple and effective. Watch what she does with her patient. Always remember, the mind navigates for the body.
E. Biomedical Therapies
Specifically this refers to the use of drugs in treating a myriad of psychological disorders. Though effective, not all drug therapies are sound or desirable (see the article on mild depression and drug therapy on the bottom of Mental Health, Depression... )
First, I think even the best websites are no substitute for a living person when it comes to therapies. Here's a website for your own interest and information called the ABCs of Internet Therapy Guide.
There are many different therapies that one might have prescribed for a client (patient). Below is a scene from the film Ordinary People (1980). It is the story of a family beset by the death of one of its members. The result of which is a broken home. A distant mother that finds it hard to show affection for the son that survived the boating accident. An over compensating father that tries to make up for the problems and denial of his wife. And finally, the surviving son that is riddled with guilt because he survived, while his older brother died. The purpose of this scene is for you to get a sense of the relationship that develops between a therapist and his/her patient. You only need to watch the opening seven minutes. Enjoy.
A. Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a long and costly process. It requires that the patient have the following qualities:
B. Humanistic Therapy
This is largely the work of Carl Rogers work with "client (not "patient") centered therapies. Focus here is on the present and future as opposed to some sort of traumatic event in the development of the person (see Freud's psychotherapy above). The client is to take responsibility for their feelings. The goal is self-awareness, self-acceptance and personal growth.
Watch the video clip below featuring Carl Rogers.
Try to speak to a counselor using the Humanistic Approach at ELIZA. Go to the bottom of this webpage and type in what you feel are the words of the client (patient) that you have been assigned. See how this approach works for you. You might want to include it in your diagnosis and treatment.
This method can be very successful. Needed are a client that:
- is willing to give full and honest disclosure about how they think and feel, and why they might be experiencing those feelings.
- is willing to accept full responsibility for their feelings and thoughts.
C. Behavior TherapiesThe therapies are used for patients with a wide range of disorders from addictions to bad behavior. Largely these sorts of therapies will focus on a strategy, i.e. relaxation technique, in order to address a disorder. If you can remember the scene we saw from the film Clock Work Orange, you can see an example of aversive therapy. The approach taken in the film, though, is not what happens in real life situations employing aversive therapy. The objective is always self-control.
Another example of a behavior therapy is called a token economy. This is just like operant conditioning where some sort of reward is given for not engaging in some sort of undesirable behavior. In this case it would be just that, a token which can be exchanged for something of value after a certain number have been gathered.
Another type of behavior therapy is assertiveness training.
D. Cognitive Therapies
The focus is, as the name implies, thought. Address the thought processes and we may be able to address the entire disorder.
This is used a lot with depression. The focus is on distortions that many patients usually have that are suffering from a mood or generalized anxiety disorder and phobias.
Watch the video below. The work of the therapist here is simple and effective. Watch what she does with her patient. Always remember, the mind navigates for the body.
E. Biomedical Therapies
Specifically this refers to the use of drugs in treating a myriad of psychological disorders. Though effective, not all drug therapies are sound or desirable (see the article on mild depression and drug therapy on the bottom of Mental Health, Depression... )